Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known as a land of gems. King Solomon was said to have procured a great ruby for the queen of Sheba from Ceylon. Marco Polo (1293 AD) wrote about the ruby that once graced the Ruwanweliseya Dagoba at Anuradhapura..."a flawless ruby a span long and quite as thick as a man's fist".
Sri Lanka has produced three of the world's largest blue sapphires, including the 'Blue Bell' which adorns the British crown and the 'Star of India', displayed at the New York Museum of Natural History.
A visit to one of the museums or many gem workshops will give you the opportunity to see a variety of precious stone, such as rubies, sapphires, cat's eyes, alexandrites, aquamarines, tourmalines, spinels, topaz, garnets, amethyst, zircons etc.
Ratnapura
is situated at the foot of the 2243 metre high
Adam's Peak. All four major religions claim Adam's Peak as
a holy mountain. Buddhists call the mountain Sri Pada (the sacred
footprint), or Samanalakande (Butterfly Mountain) and believe the
Lord Buddha has visited the mountain and set his sacred footprint.
Hindu's say it's Lord Shiva's and Muslims believe that it is the
place where Adam first set foot on earth, after being cast out of
heaven. Catholics say it is of St. Thomas' the Christian Apostle
who preached in South India.
Ratnapura is also the staring point for the 'Classic' Hard route up Adam's Peak, via Gilimale and Carney estate. The Pilgrimage season starts on Poya (full moon) day in December and runs until the start of the South-West Monsoon in April. It has been a pilgrimage centre for over a 1000 years. King Parakramabahu and King Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa provided ambalamas or 'resting places' for weary pilgrims along the mountain route. The other more popular route is through Dalhousie (pronounced 'Del-house') close to Dickoya.
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